


My Heart Went Boom

by orphan_account



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Art, Artist Aaron Burr, Child Abuse, Eventual Fluff, Gay Aaron Burr, Gay Alexander Hamilton, Homophobia, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Violence, Poor Aaron Burr, Protective Alexander Hamilton, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Summer Camp, Super Gay Alexander Hamilton, Younger Aaron Burr, conversion camp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2018-12-17 03:42:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11843277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Alexander is forced to attend a conversion camp by his extremely religious foster parents. There he meets the Pastor's nephew, Aaron Burr, and ends up being gay as hell for him.This should be fun.(This fic has been abandoned. Sorry. :/)





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For your information I do not believe all Christians are anti gay, nor do I believe that it is wrong to be a part of a religion. This was just an idea I had and I mean absolutely no harm by it.
> 
> To see the video I saw on this subject [go here](http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/undercover-called-gay-conversion-camp-46038064)

Alexander stood in front of a large sign, scowling. His foster mother sat in the car with her husband, glaring at him.

"When I return I expect you to abide by God's will, you understand? I'm not raising someone who'll end up in Hell!" She screeched before Alexander's foster father started the car and drove away.

Alexander stood there scowling as he watched them drive away. God, he hated them both. He didn't know why the foster system thought it'd be a good idea to place him in a religious household when he was gay as fuck.

He let out a small growl before stalking into the stupid camp that his foster parents were forcing him to attend. If he could, he would've just turned tail and run, however, the camp was in the middle of nowhere and Alexander would probably wind up dead before he even got close to the town.

Mind you, now that Alexander thought about it, he supposed that was the point.

As he walked along, he took in the calmness and beauty of the forest that surrounded the campgrounds. It was almost funny how the forest seemed to bring tranquility, while the conversion camp he had to attend brought anxiety.

Suddenly, a nun appeared in front of him, smiling widely. Startled, Alexander flinched and stumbled back.

"Hello," she greeted. "Welcome to Blessed Hope Camp." She spoke gently and kindly, but Alexander could see the cold glint in her eyes. Huffing, he adjusted his backpack and moved to walk past her but she grabbed his arm.

"The word of God will help you heal and get through your confusion." She said, pushing a bible into his hands. His eyes widened and his mouth twisted with distaste. He shoved the book away and practically ran into the main building. God had done nothing for him and never would.

He entered the main hall and he openly gaped at the scene in front of him. Teens of all ages and sizes were shuffling along with either scared or dead eyes. Alexander felt a shiver go up his spine. It was easy to tell who was new and who was returning. Taking a deep breath he began to walk forward. As he did, he noticed a young boy, who looked to be Alexander's age, standing at the entrance, passing out small slips of paper to the various people that walked through. Alexander noticed that everyone held a bible as well. Alexander paused only briefly before continuing and when the boy tried to give him the slip of paper, he jutted his chin out and marched on, not sparing him another glance.

As he made his way to a seat near the back of the hall, he could feel the boy's heavy gaze on him and it took all his willpower not to look back. Nervous chatter filled the air but soon fell silent when a tall man with sharp features walked in and marched over to a podium.

Alexander blinked in surprise when he saw the young boy trailing after him.

"Greetings ladies and gentlemen. I am Pastor Edwards and I welcome to Blessed Hope. Do not fret, we are here to help you. Just follow the word of God and all shall be well. I am sure you all know why you are here?" His question was met with silence as hundreds of teens glared at him. He remained unfazed however and continued,

"I'm so delighted and honored that God would have me bold enough to stand and talk about these issues," he said. "As you all know homosexuality is a sin. However if you-"

"That's complete bullshit!" Alexander yelled. The room fell silent as the pastor slowly directed his attention to Alexander who stared back defiantly.

"Young man," the pastor started to say but Alexander wasn't done.

"Do you really think homosexuality is a sin, an issue? Because if that's true then why the Hell did your god make us this way? You think how we feel is something we can control? Guess again you dumb fuck! We love who we love and that's that. If you can't accept it, then get the fuck out!" Alexander was standing now, practically putting all his weight into the bench in front of him.

He smirked in satisfaction when he saw how red Pastor Edwards face was.

"Sister Karrey, please escorted this," his face twisted in disgust, "man out."

The nun nodded and grabbed Alexander's arm before roughly leading him away.

"Let me go, dammit!" He screeched, twisting in her grasp attempting to break free, but the woman was stronger than she looked. She led him to the pastor's office, kicking and screaming the whole way. She basically threw him into the room and shut the door. Alexander watched her warily as she slowly walked over to the pastor's desk. His eyes widened when she pulled out a long belt.

"Take off your shirt." She ordered, her eyes cold as they bore into his. Alexander stared at her but didn't move. He wasn't scared of some small beating. She couldn't do anything to him that hadn't already been done.

He sneered at her and crossed his arms. "Why don't you make me?" He said, head held high. Sister Karrey's eyes flashed with anger and Alexander smirked. She suddenly lurched forward and grabbed his arm, yanking him towards her. He let out a shout and tried to pull his arm back, but her hand held firm. He squirmed while she forcibly removed his shirt.

"What the hell!" He cried, trying to break free. "You're fucking insane!"

She said nothing, instead, she turned him around. He let out a small cry when she brought the belt down on his back. When she did it again, he stayed silent. The first one had taken him by surprise, that was all. He kept his mouth shut, stubbornly refusing to make even the smallest of noise.

She hit him a total of ten times before finally putting the belt away. Alexander snatched his shirt up from the ground, wincing slightly from his now sore back. He glanced back at the nun who was muttering things and had her hands together in a prayer.

"Sister Karrey, are you finished?" Alexander turned and glared at Pastor Edwards.

"She beat me!" He shouted. His mouth opened in shock when Pastor Edwards simply raised an eyebrow. "What the fuck? Do you not care at all?"

"Your parents gave me permission to strick you, should you misbehave." He said calmly. Alexander stared at him, eyes wide with disbelief.

"What the fuck?" He yelled, receiving a glare from the pastor.

"Watch your tongue young man." He barked and Alexander blinked when he placed a hand on a small boy's shoulder who was hiding cautiously behind him. "I will not have you corrupting my nephew."

Alexander snorted. "I'm the one who'll corrupt him? As if! You're probably telling him all sorts of bullshit." He retorted.

Pastor Edwards eyes flashed angrily and without hesitation, he slapped Alexander right across the face. Hard.

Alexander fell to the floor, clutching his cheek, which was now throbbing painfully.

"You'd best remember your place boy." He said, before turning around and swiftly walking away, Sister Karrey trailing behind him. Alexander stared after them angrily.

"A-are you alright?" A quiet voice asked. Alexander looked up and glared at the young boy who'd been passing out the slips of paper.

"I'm fine." He growled. The boy flinched back at his harsh tone. Uncertainty filled the boy's eyes and he fidgeted a bit, obviously thinking deeply about something.

"Aaron!" Pastor Edwards said sharply. The boy jerked up suddenly and looked in the direction of Pastor Edwards.

"Coming!" He called. With one last look in Alexander's direction, the boy ran off.


	2. Chapter 2

It's been a week since Alexander arrived at this horrible camp and he'd decided that it was Hell on Earth.

The mornings consisted of prayers to the 'divine Lord' and then it was time for morning chores. Once they were finished it was breakfast which was horribly stale porridge. So terrible in fact, that Alexander swore he would never eat porridge ever again. After breakfast, it was class time where they learned about how wonderful God was and that being homosexual was a sin and that if they continued in their ways they would be sent to Hell. After that, more chores, then lunch and some more prayers.

That was their daily routine and Alexander caused trouble every opportunity he got. He didn't pray and sometimes talked over Pastor Edwards just to piss him off, which earned him a beating. He did eat the porridge, but only because there was nothing else. However, he didn't do any of the chores, instead opting to either laze around or sneak away to write.

Sneaking away to write was what he was currently doing. He pretended to be sweeping the sidewalks, carefully keeping an eye on Sister Karrey who was his group's supervisor. The moment she looked away Alexander dropped his broom and took off.

He ran behind the cabins they had to stay in, careful not to draw any attention. By now, all the supervisors knew of Alexander's tendencies and kept an eye out for him. He snuck into his cabin and grabbed his notebook that was hidden under his mattress. He sat on his bed and cautiously looked around before opening his journal. He was about to begin writing when a flash of movement caught his eye.

He stood up and went over to the window, watching in slight shock as Pastor Edwards nephew, Aaron he thought his name was, ran into the woods. Filled with curiosity as to why the pastor's goody-two-shoes nephew would sneak out, Alexander left his cabin and followed Aaron. He stayed a safe distance away and watched with interest as the boy maneuvered around bushes and trees with practiced ease. It was fairly obvious that he knew what he was doing and where he was going.

Eventually, they arrived at a small clearing. Alexander stayed back, hiding carefully behind a tree. He couldn't believe his eyes when he took in the clearing. It was stunning. Light carefully peeked through the tree branches, offering enough light and warmth, but not so much that it was exceedingly bright or warm. There was a small body of water, too large to be a pond yet too little to be a lake. A small waterfall tumbled down a miniature cliff and Alexander realized it was the perfect height to jump off of into the water. All in all, the clearing was peaceful, beautiful.

A snap of a twig brought his attention back to Aaron and he watched as the boy crouched and began to brush away some leaves and sticks laying on the dirt. He watched curiously as Aaron picked up a decently sized box and opened it, pulling out a notebook of sorts. He leaned a bit closer, trying to spy what Aaron was doing as the boy settled against a large oak tree, placing the book on his thighs and beginning to write. At least that's what Alexander assumed. It was difficult to tell from his distance.

Quietly, he crept closer until he was hiding in a bush only a couple of feet away from Aaron. Alexander licked his lips and shuffled a bit closer, not noticing a stick lying on the ground until it was too late.

_Snap!_

Aaron shot up like a rocket and looked around, clutching the notebook to his chest.

"Hello? Is someone there?" He called out, cautiously scanning the area with his eyes. Alexander stayed perfectly still, holding his breath. His eyes widened with alarm when Aaron started to walk towards his hiding place.

He stared with slight panic as Aaron got closer and closer. He couldn't take it anymore and lept out of his hiding place, knocking Aaron to the ground. Aaron let out a little shriek and tried to fight back, but Alexander had the advantage and quickly pinned the young boy.

"Let me go!" He cried, fruitlessly fighting against Alexander's grip.

"Stop, struggling!" Alexander said, but that only seemed to make it worse. "I don't want to hurt you!"

"What the hell do you want?" Aaron growled, glaring at Alexander through his thick eyelashes.

"I was just curious okay! I saw you going into the woods and I just thought why would the pastor's goody-two-shoes nephew go into the forest when he clearly ordered us not to and decided to follow you but then I accidentally stepped on a twig and then you got too close so I figured well maybe I can bargain with him not to tell the pastor about what happened but I knew I'd need the upper hand and this is a really nice clearing by the way and I'm sorry!" Alexander said breathlessly.

He held his breath as Aaron stared at him blankly. For a second he thought for sure that Aaron would threaten him, which was why he was shocked when the boy burst into laughter. He was so surprised in fact, that he scrambled off of Aaron at lightning speed.

"Why are you laughing?" He demanded, glaring. Aaron's giggling subsided and he wiped his eyes.

"I apologize it's just, after everything you've done here and all your rebellious behavior, me telling my uncle that we were both in the forest made you panic? I'd get in trouble as well you know, so why would I say a word to him?" Aaron said, his smile teasing.

Alexander blinked, before crossing his arms and huffing. "That's not what I, I didn't mean- Shut up!"

Aaron laughed again and Alexander grumbled. "You're funny," Aaron said, crawling over to where Alexander was pouting.

"I am not!" He denied, causing Aaron to laugh again.

"You act so childish for a thirteen-year-old." He said.

"I'll have you know I'm fourteen!" He said haughtily, crossing his arms and glaring at Aaron.

Aaron put his hands up in surrender. "My mistake."

"Say, what were you writing in your notebook?" Alexander asked suddenly. Aaron stiffened and he clutched his book tightly.

"I wasn't writing."

Alexander raised an eyebrow. "You weren't?"

Aaron shook his head, shifting a bit. Alexander watched with interest as Aaron's cheeks slowly turned rosy and he looked down at his knees.

"I was uh... I was drawing." He admitted. "But you can't tell my uncle! If you do I'll tell him all about you breaking his rules!" He blurted out.

"I won't tell him," Alexander promised, crawling a bit closer, trying to get a peek. "Can I see?"

Aaron's eyes widened and he glanced at his sketchbook.

"O-Okay but they're not very good..." he mumbled before handing Alexander the book.

"I'm sure they're better than anything I could draw." He said cheerfully before opening it. A soft gasp escaped him as he stared at the beautifully drawn sketches that lay inside.

"This is amazing..." he said, tracing the drawings with his fingers. Aaron shrugged.

"My mum could do better." He said. "Sally's better too."

"Well, I haven't seen their works, but I have seen yours and I say it's beautiful," Alexander said, looking at Aaron and smiling. Aaron blushed and ducked his head.

"T-Thank you. Uncle Timothy says I shouldn't draw..."

Alexander frowned. "What? Why not?"

Aaron sighed. "He says it's not something a man should do."

Alexander's brows furrowed. "He does realize a lot of great artists are male, right? Like Leonardo da Vinci."

Aaron glanced away, obviously troubled. "Uncle Timothy is... strict. What he says goes. That's how it's always been." Aaron's voice became quiet at the end and he looked close to tears.

Alexander shifted a bit uncomfortably, not quite knowing how to comfort him. He wasn't good with upset people, much less those who cried. For once, he was at a loss for words.

Luckily for him, Aaron saved him from any more discomfort. "We should go before they miss us." He said softly.

"R-Right."

As the two walked back in silence, Alexander couldn't help but wonder if Aaron was like him, orphaned and alone in this world. He thought about asking, but seeing as he'd already almost made the boy cry, it probably wasn't the best idea.

And so for once, Alexander kept his mouth shut and his thoughts to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Over the course of three weeks, Alexander and Aaron became close friends. They snuck out to the clearing every chance they got, sometimes Aaron would bring some tasty food for Alexander seeing as the food he got was gross, and they chatted about anything and everything.

Aaron was almost like a savior to Alexander. He was someone he could talk to freely, without worry of being harshly judged or beaten for the wrong opinions. As it turned out, Aaron didn't see anything wrong with the lgbtq+ community. After all, if a God did indeed create all of them, why would He cause people to be gay, trans etc?

Alexander was very glad for the different opinion in this ridiculous camp after suffering for almost two horrible months.

"Alexander!" A voice hissed. Alexander opened his eyes to see Aaron shaking him gently.

"Come on! It's your last day here, I wanna show you something." He whispered. Alexander groaned and tried to shake the younger boy off. He'd had a long day, he just wanted to sleep before he had to deal with his stupid foster parents.

"Alexander, please," Aaron whispered, a bit more loudly. Alexander sighed.

"Alright, alright. I'm up." He grumbled. Aaron smiled slightly and grabbed his hand and started to drag him out.

"I hope this is worth it," Alexander whispered angrily, allowing Aaron to lead him out of the cabin. They ran into the forest and Alexander was slightly surprised to see that they weren't going to their signature clearing.

"Hurry up Alexander!" Aaron called quietly, moving through the forest like some sort of nymph. Alexander was still in awe of how smoothly Aaron moved.

"We're here!" Aaron said, grinning widely and gesturing widely to the new area he'd brought him to.

Alexander quirked a brow when he took it in. It was pretty plain actually. Just a normal looking clearing. No ponds or large trees to sit under. Nothing special.

"You woke me up for this?" Alexander said, confused and slightly annoyed. Aaron rolled his eyes.

"Yes, dumbass. Look up." Aaron pointed to the sky and Alexander did as he said. A gasp escaped his lips when his eyes took in the night sky.

It was covered with bright stars, glittering like gems. There were so many and each twinkled as Alexander admired them. He had never seen anything so beautiful.

"Woah..." he whispered in awe.

Aaron smiled. "You don't see the night sky like this in the city do you?" He asked before sitting down. Wordless, Alexander shook his head.

Aaron chuckled. "Yeah, I figured. You're from New York right?"

Again, Alexander just nodded, still captivated by the sky.

"I love it here at night," Aaron continued, staring up at the twinkling sky with a small smile. "It's so beautiful. New Jersey doesn't showcase a whole lot of stars, too much light pollution." Aaron's expression turned sad. "It's horrible what us humans have done to our only home..."

Alexander finally tore his gaze away from the sky and to the young boy beside him. His eyes widened at the sight of Aaron looking mournfully at the sky, bathed in moonlight which highlighted his already attractive features. Alexander sucked in a breath, quickly returning his gaze to the stars. His fist clenched and he gently joined Aaron on the ground.

The two sat there together, just admiring the night sky.

They stayed there for a long time, just sitting in silence. It was nice. Alexander felt calm, at peace. Here in the forest, no one was around to judge or even interrupt them. There was no stress, no pressure. Just... peace.

And Alexander loved it.

He couldn't help but think back to his days with his mum in New York. They were pretty poor, so they had lived in the more scruffy part of town, but they were happy. They didn't need money to be content. They'd had each other and that was all that matter. It was a hard, but peaceful life.

But then his mother fell ill. They hadn't had enough money for medicine and Alexander was left an orphan. It was by miracle that the orphanage had even spotted him laying in the street, hurt and alone. While Alexander was thankful for the rescue, he wasn't happy. His mother was gone and he was trapped with horribly unaccepting and homophobic guardians.

Alexander didn't even realize that he had begun to cry until Aaron did.

"Alexander, what's wrong?" He asked softly, crawling over to the fourteen-year-old. Alexander blinked, only just realizing that his eyes were blurry.

He sat up, looking over at Aaron in confusion.

"I... I don't know..." he said quietly, sniffling softly. Aaron frowned, before crawling closer and hugging him.

"Well," he said softly, squeezing him slightly. "Just know that you're not alone okay?"

Alexander drew in a stuttered breath and let out a quiet sob before he even realized what was happening. Aaron held him silently as he cried. He didn't ask any questions, just offered him the support Alexander hadn't realized he'd been sorely missing. Just the feeling of being held brought him back to the memory of his mother giving him one last tight hug, whispering in his ear 'Alexander... just remember, I will always be with you. You will never be alone'. The memory made Alexander sob harder, all the feelings he'd suppressed over the years finally crashing down.

Finally, Alexander's sobs quieted and turned into soft whimpers and sniffles. Aaron pulled away, looking at him with concern.

"Alexander, are you okay?" He asked. Alexander nodded and wiped his eyes, sniffling still.

"You're sure?"

Again, he nodded.

Aaron gave him a gentle smile. "Do you want to go back? You've got a long day of travel tomorrow."

Alexander paused, wanting to stay, but then he realized that if they stayed out much longer they would probably fall asleep. This wouldn't be a problem for Alexander seeing as he was leaving tomorrow, but Aaron lived with his uncle. Alexander didn't want to get Aaron in trouble. Nothing good could come out of that.

"Yeah, we should probably head back now." He said. Aaron relaxed slightly.

"Alright. I'll lead the way." He said, standing and beginning to walk. Alexander was quick to follow. It was dead silent when they returned to the camp and the boys went their separate ways.

That night Alexander dreamed of warmth and happier days.


	4. Chapter 4

It turned out that Alexander's foster parents had adopted him over the period he'd been away at camp, no doubt thinking that he would actually be straight when he returned. And they were so disappointed that it didn't happen, that they actually sent him back the following year.

Alexander didn't mind as much this time though because he knew that Aaron would be there. He was the pastor's nephew after all.

His new parents dropped him off, once again snapping at him to abide by God's will, yadda yadda yadda. Alexander didn't listen. He clutched his suitcase tightly before making his way to the main building where that absolutely ridiculous introduction was held. He, once again, completely ignored the nun that tried to hand him a bible and continued on his way. He grinned when he saw Aaron standing at the church entrance and just like last year, was nervously holding out slips of paper.

"Aaron!" He called, waving his hand. Aaron looked up at the sound of his name and his eyes widened when they landed on Alexander.

"Alexander?" He said once they reached each other. "What are you doing here?"

Alexander sighed and waved his hand about. "Stupid new parents want me to magically be straight. They're infuriating."

Aaron sighed and shook his head. "I don't really like extremists like them. I don't uh, necessarily believe in God, but if He does exist, He wouldn't want this. Sometimes, I feel like He's just sleeping and that's the only reason people get away with these types of things."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Alexander said. "And you weren't this non-believing last year, what happened?"

Aaron shrugged. "This whole religion thing was kinda shoved onto me. My mum and dad were religious, but not nearly as much as Uncle Timothy." Aaron shuddered. "He's an extremist. He thinks everything other than Christianity is wrong. It's awful."

"Geez, that's ridiculous," Alexander said, shaking his head. Aaron nodded in agreement.

"Aaron, come here."

They both turned to see pastor Edwards standing in the building, beady eyes staring into their souls.

"Coming Uncle!" Aaron called back.

"Now!"

Both boys flinched at that and Aaron reluctantly left, shooting Alexander an apologetic smile.

Alexander just shrugged, still happy to have seen his friend again, before walking into the building as well and going into the assembly area. He once again sat at the back, taking in the terrified faces of the newcomers. Nothing had changed it seemed. They all waited until Pastor Edwards came in, holding his notes. Alexander watched in amusement as people still chattered even when the pastor tried to gain their attention.

"Enough!" Pastor Edwards finally snapped. "First rule, you will listen to me when addressed. Do you understand?"

Everyone fell silent and the newbies stared in fear, but everyone nodded, besides Alexander of course. Pastor Edwards cleared his throat before beginning.

"Greetings ladies and gentlemen. I am Pastor Edwards and welcome to Blessed Hope. Do not fret, we are here to help you. Just follow the word of God and all shall be well. I am sure you all know why you are here?"

Alexander laughed out loud, causing everyone to stare at him in muted shock. The pastor, clearly annoyed, looked at him.

"What is so funny young man?" He demanded.

"I-I'm sorry!" Alexander stammered, wiping fake tears away. "It's just - this is the same speech as last year! Word for word! You didn't even bother to change it up even a little bit!"

Alexander continued to laugh until a nun came over and smacked him over the head. "Ow, lady!" He shrieked, glaring at her and holding his wounded spot. Pastor Edwards simply sighed and shook his head.

"That is just an example as to what will happen should you misbehave. Mister Hamilton-"

"Oh, so you remember me? That's sweet." Alexander said grinning wildly. A few held back snickers came out from the campers, causing Alexander to grin even more.

"Sister Judy, please take him to my office." The pastor ordered, face practically red with fury, and the nun that had hit him nodded and led him away. She pushed him into a familiar office and Alexander sat down in one of the chairs. He watched with mild amusement as the nun stood by the door like some sort of security guard. After waiting for what seemed like forever the pastor entered.

"Mister Hamilton." He said in a clipped tone.

"Please, just call me Alexander." He said cheekily.

"Mister Hamilton," the pastor said again. "Why can't you simply behave? If you do not, I wouldn't have to punish you severely."

"Whatever old man."

"And one more thing." Alexander turned to him, eyebrow quirked.

"Stay away from my nephew." He said coldly. "You've corrupted him enough." With a wave of his hand, the nun came over and grabbed him roughly and led him away. Alexander actually followed willingly, confused out of his mind.

He frowned. Corrupted him enough? What did he mean by that?


	5. Chapter 5

Alexander swept the floor angrily. He had slept horribly last night, too busy thinking about Aaron and what the Hell his stupid ass uncle meant. Did Aaron accidentally let it slip about what he truly thought of the lgbtq+ community? If so, is that why his uncle thought Alexander corrupted him? Of course, that wasn't the only thing that had kept Alexander awake. There was the fact that his body was a bit sore from punishment.

"Alright, everyone. Time for lunch."

Alexander gagged. They called the shit they fed them lunch? That stale bread and some cheese were probably all sorts of disgusting.

Nevertheless, he followed the nun obediently, still deep in thought. They arrived at the dining hall and all campers rushed to get the best of the food available.

Alexander followed the crowd, grabbing food absentmindedly before going and sitting in one the hard, stupidly uncomfortable, wood benches. He dug into his food, mouth twisting with distaste at the bland, horrible taste.

"Why do we have to eat this shit?" Someone grumbled.

"Yeah," someone else said. "And look at the pastor's prissy nephew. He should have to eat this horrible food as well."

The first person snorted. "If this could even be called food."

Alexander paid no mind to the rest of their conversation, instead perking up at the mention of Aaron. He looked around, searching for the younger boy. He grinned when he spotted him. He picked up his tray and rushed over to his friend.

"Hey, Aaron!" He said gleefully, taking a seat beside him.

Aaron looked up startled. "Alexander!" He said.

"How're you doing?" He asked, grabbing his rock hard bread and taking a painful bite.

"F-fine." Aaron stammered, quiet.

Alexander frowned. "Is everything alright?" He asked.

Aaron stared down at his lap and nodded mutely.

Alexander scowled and grabbed his wrist. Aaron's eyes widened and he looked at him.

"What's going on Aaron," Alexander demanded. "Something's up and I want to know what."

"R-really Alexander, it's nothing." Aaron stammered, trying and failing to escape his grasp. His attempts to escape only caused Alexander to tighten his grip. "I know something's wrong Aaron. Is your shitty uncle doing something?"

Aaron flinched and Alexander knew he'd hit the head on the nail.

"Aaron," he said, softer this time. "You can tell me what's going on. I won't tell anyone."

"Uncle Timothy found out." He whispered after a long pause.

Alexander frowned. "Found out what?"

"He found out that I don't hate lgbtq+ people and that I actually support them." Aaron sniffled, tears starting to build in his eyes. "I don't know what he's going to do once summer break is over Alex. I'm scared."

"I won't let that bastard hurt you, Aaron," Alexander said, reaching over and hugging the younger boy.

"But what can you do?" Aaron whispered. "You live in New York. I live in New Jersey. You can't stop him. You shouldn't make promises you can't keep."

"So maybe I can't stop him from hurting you," Alexander admitted. "But I can help to counteract it."

"How?"

"I'll send you letters."

Aaron blinked and looked up at him. "Letters?" He asked.

Alexander nodded, squeezing him a bit. "Yeah, letters. Are you always first home?"

Aaron nodded. "Uncle Timothy has to stay at the church for services. He normally gets home around five."

"Perfect. Check your mailbox every day. Including the weekends. We wouldn't want your bastard of an uncle to find any of the letters I'm going to send, now would we."

Aaron looked shocked, his mouth slightly open and his eyes wide. "You're going to send me a letter every day?" He asked.

"Well, at least the days that I can," Alexander said. "This way, whenever your uncle does something bad, you can read them and feel good again. I don't want to see you hurt Aaron. You're my friend and I want to protect you."

Aaron hugged him back. "Thank you, Alexander." He whispered, pressing his face into his chest.

Alexander patted his head, ignoring the stares and glares of their peers around them. Right then and there, he promised that he would never let anything harm Aaron ever again. He refused to let his friend be hurt again. Anyone who dared to even think of hurting the younger, innocent boy, was going to answer to him.

"Alright!" A nun called. "Lunch is over."

Alexander slowly disentangled himself from Aaron and stood up to put his lunch tray away.

"Wait, Alexander," Aaron called, grabbing onto his sleeve.

Alexander turned and stared at his friend in confusion. "What is it?"

"Uncle Timothy will get mad if he sees us together." Aaron quickly explained. "Tonight, do you want to meet at the lake?"

Alexander grinned and nodded. "Sure thing. After curfew?"

"At ten o'clock," Aaron said firmly.

"Will do. See you then Burr Bear."

He watched with a tiny smirk as Aaron's eyes widened and his face flooded red.

He walked away and set his lunch tray down before walking over to the waiting nun.

"Since you took so long," she said, obviously irritated. "You get to wash all the dishes tonight."

Alexander scoffed and went to join the others in the line. "Whatever you say, lady." He called as he walked away. He smirked when the nun glowered, her face turning quite an ugly purple.

"I would suggest breathing," he said. "Otherwise we'll all infect you with our gay."

The nun only seemed angrier as a couple of people muffled their snickers.

"If I hear one word out of your mouth again young man, you will be punished." She growled. Alexander shrugged. Honestly, they never learned their lesson, did they. A simple whipping wasn't going to discipline him. It was only going to make him hate them more and give him all the motivation to make their lives as difficult as possible.

As the nun barked orders, he kept quiet. The only thing holding him back was the thought of seeing Aaron again in that clearing. He knew that if he was snarky again, the nun would punish him after all the chores were done and he didn't want to be so exhausted and sore that he couldn't enjoy his time with Aaron.

He rolled his shoulders and started on his chores, the thought of Aaron's flushed face not leaving his mind for a single second.


End file.
